The Myths of Vaping Debunked and What You Need to Know!

In order to educate new vapers and would-be vapers in the community, the first order of business should be to debunk some of the popular “vaping myths” floating around on the Internet. These are the ones people bring up when they hear that you are planning to start vaping or have already done so. It is their way of warning you, most likely out of concern, but they have been misinformed and it is important that we give people the most up-to-date, factual information possible to help them be successful at quitting cigarettes and vaping safely.

“E-liquid contains antifreeze”

Propylene Glycol is one ingredient used in e-liquids that is also used in manufacturing antifreeze. PG itself contains no anti-freeze and is non-toxic. Because it used in making anti-freeze people mistakenly believe that it is in the e-liquid. E-liquid contains 4 main ingredients: vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, liquid nicotine, and flavoring. Some commercially-made e-liquids may contain a few other ingredients such as coloring and diacetyl, but for the most part, it has been discontinued from use in e-liquids.

“E-liquid contains formaldehyde”

This is another mistaken conclusion. It comes from a study on indoor air quality from vaping published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The reason for the confusion was that traces of “aldehydes” (which formaldehyde is a type of) were noted but in minuscule amounts. These “aldehydes” were produced by turning up the wattage levels on the devices and “dry” burning the coils. The test results were obtained using methods that would not normally occur during vaping and are not accurate. Nobody vapes with dry cotton at extremely high wattage levels.

“E-cigarettes can explode”

Correction: E-cig batteries (any batteries for that matter) can explode. This is the reason for all those news stories about “exploding vape pens”. If you read those stories to the end, you’ll see that it was the battery that exploded and not the device. The device does not have the ability to explode without the battery. And most often it is not vape pens but mods, specifically mechanical mods, that are the culprit.

“E-cigs are a gateway to smoking for teenagers”

This is the reason for the current “flavor ban” initiative proposed by anti-vaping groups. They say sweet flavors appeal to kids, well it appeals to adults as well. Sweet flavors aren’t going to entice kids or teens to start vaping and then to smoking. Current studies being done on college students suggest that teen smoking rates are going down. That is also what’s happening in the UK as well, their teen smoking rates are declining. There is not much evidence to suggest that vaping is a gateway, in my opinion.

“Vaping is just as harmful as cigarettes”

There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, including carbon monoxide, ammonia and arsenic. Tar and nicotine are two compounds that most everyone recognizes but they are not nearly as bad as the others. Nicotine, by itself, is a stimulant much like coffee. Without the tar and other chemicals, vaping nicotine e-liquid is a better alternative to smoking because it’s cleaner and you’re avoiding those 4,000 chemicals and carcinogens. Studies done by Public Health England have concluded that “E-cigarettes are 95% safer than smoked tobacco and they can help smokers quit”.

“Vaping does not help people quit smoking”

The UK has some pretty astounding figures on this one. According to Public Health England, an astonishing 29 million adults use e-cigarettes. Out of those 29 million, 15 million have completely stopped using tobacco. It is so successful that some British countries are using them in their efforts to get people off cigarettes. Many people who now vape say that they were heavy smokers and quit the day they bought their first electronic cigarette. This isn’t always the case, but it is true for a lot of vapers.

“Vaping causes popcorn lung”

This myth was created in reference to a group of factory workers who were exposed to the chemical compound “diacetyl” over a long period of time. Diacetyl is what gives popcorn it’s buttery flavor and mimics a custardy flavor in e-liquid. However, the factory workers were exposed to tons of the stuff every day over several years while vapers may get a small, minuscule amount in e-liquid every now and then. Most e-liquid manufacturers have stopped using it.

“Vaping is more addictive than smoking”

Some people may think that vaping is more addictive than smoking due to the flavors offered and higher amounts of nicotine than in traditional cigarettes. The truth is that nicotine liquid has about the same amount of nicotine as a tobacco cigarette, minus the tar and other nasty stuff. However, when you quit smoking you’ll find that your body processes nicotine differently. It takes a little longer for nicotine to get into your system through vaping. And you may still get cravings for a cigarette but they are not as strong as they are without vaping and if you adjust your nicotine level it makes it much easier to get through this phase. Believe me, it is harder to quit smoking than it is to quit vaping.

Both cigarettes and vapor products contain nicotine, but what’s missing from vapor products (those 4,000 chemicals) are part of what makes smoking so addictive. Without those chemicals, vapers who previously smoked 2 packs per day can vape 6mg of nicotine and take a 3-hour plane ride without needing to vape between flights.

After you have been vaping a while it is not uncommon to still feel those little urges for a cigarette now and then but they are not as strong without all the chemical additives from cigarettes, and they get a lot easier to ignore over time. Check out the different guides License to Vape has to offer and how we are educating people on vaping as a whole and vaping products.